Hurdles. Life sometimes seems to only be about the hurdles. We have enough of them on our personal journeys, so I’ve never felt the need to put unnecessary ones in my way. Earning the gold medal in the Women’s 100 meter hurdle event, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn adds some gold to Puerto Rico’s medal map, and gets this Dazzler of the Day honor in the process.
If I was still crowning Hunks of the Day, Karsten Warholm would likely be a top contender. For now, he and his Track & Field prowess will have to make do with the Dazzler of the Day, as he speeds over hurdles in search of a gold medal for his home country of Norway.
The Summer Olympics in Tokyo are in full bloom, as evidenced by the plethora of Olympic posts here, and the Speedo shots of some favorite Olympians. The links alone are enough for this Monday morning recap, so go on and indulge. (Special kudos to Tom Daley and Matty Lee on their gold medal, and for sprucing up this post with their Speedo poses.) See more below…
The week kicked off with this Speedo-licious post of the aforementioned (and pictured) Tom Daley and Matty Lee.
Sandwich of the summer, in any variation you like.
A flower needing a new common name.
The lily that lasts but a day.
The Olympic Spotlight shone on Artur Dalaloyan, Shane Wiskus, Tyler Downs, Andrew Capobianco, Jordan Chiles, Daiki Hashimoto, Bobby Finke, and MyKayla Skinner.
Dazzlers of the Day included Tommy Dorfman, Oksana Chusovitina, Hidilyn Diaz, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu, Elaine Thompson-Herah, and Trayvon Bromell.
Widely billed as the world’s fastest man, Trayvon Bromell is, as of this writing, set to burn his way across the tracks of the Olympic Games in Tokyo. He specializes in the sprint, so keep an eye on him, if your eyes are that fast. For this post he gets crowned Dazzler of the Day, which is the very least I can give to anyone – but also the very most.
Having to unexpectedly step up into an Olympic competition must come with a crazy kind of pressure, but the US Women’s Gymnastic team has managed to do so upon the withdrawal of their anchor Simone Biles. We’ve already seen the great Sunisa Lee earn a medal, and now the stage is set for MyKayla Skinner to do similar work. Best of luck to this amazing team.
Trailing right up until the last leg of his race, Bobby Finke made a spectacular comeback from behind to win one of the gold medals in swimming for the American team. Everyone loves a good comeback.
Officially the world’s fastest woman at the moment, Elaine Thompson-Herah is taking the Olympics by storm, bolting to a medal-winning start and setting the track on fire. Representing Jamaica, she has also broken the previous Olympic record in the 100-meter dash. I can’t imagine running 100 meters at a snail’s pace, so this is obviously impressive to me, and should be to everyone. Congrats to Thompson-Herah on adding to her collection of Olympic medals and glory, as well as being crowned Dazzler of the Day.
Not quite out of his teens, Daiki Hashimoto has already earned a gold medal at the Olympic Games in mens gymnastics, and to reach such a goal at such a young age is pretty spectacular. My main accomplishment at his age was… let me think… surviving mono? His is better.
Let’s talk about the simple yet epic achievement of making it to the Olympics – all the hours and years and effort that go into a lifetime of dedication to reach such a vaunted place in athletic competition – and then add on top of that all the eyes of the world and the crushing pressure of being expected to perform and exhibit the best that you can do in a strictly prescribed set of hours. I can’t imagine having to simply walk into an arena with that sort of scenario in the works – much less having to put on the athletic performance of a lifetime (or doing anything physical at all for that matter). So when I see someone do anything on that international stage, it’s always impressive, and they deserve all the accolades. This is American gymnast Jordan Chiles, and she exemplifies the power and perseverance required to reach this level of competition.
We love the Olympics here, and we love a ginger here, so this post brings you the best of both worlds. Andrew Capobianco is currently in the running for an Olympic medal with his diving partner Michael Hixon (seen as Hunk of the Day here, and a previous Olympic Spotlight here). Capobianco brings his ginger flair to his team, lighting up the Olympic pool.
Joining the Olympic hot bunch (see Brody Malone, Yul Moldauer, and Shane Wiskus), this is U.S. diver Tyler Downs, making his debut beneath the Olympic Spotlight. We’ll let the photos speak for themselves.
The Philippines hasn’t won a single gold medal in any Olympic Games… until now. Busting through that streak is Hidilyn Diaz who won the country its first gold medal, and in weightlifting no less. Through such sheer determination, grit, and literal strength, Diaz also earns her first Dazzler of the Day for putting my Dad’s home country on the Olympic gold medal map at last.
Rounding out a trio of Olympic Spotlights from the US men’s gymnastics (see also Brody Malone, Artur Dalaloyan and Yul Moldauer) this is Shane Wiskus, making his Olympic debut and setting the stage for a future Dazzler of the Day. Watch these guys in the coming days, and years…
Making it to the Olympics is an amazing feat on its own, regardless of whether one wins a medal or not. Making it there twice is even more amazing, when you think about the years and time-frames involved. But to make it to eight Olympic Games is downright superhuman, and so Oksana Chusovitina easily earns this Dazzler of the Day honor for her outstanding achievement of participating in eight Olympic Games. If you do the math and consider the sacrifices that must involve, this woman deserves more than a few medals. She’s a true inspiration, and is still one of my favorite people at the Olympics.
This Olympian just had surgery on an injured Achilles tendon a few months ago. MONTHS. And now he’s competing in the Olympic games. Introducing gymnast Artur Dalaloyan as our Olympic Spotlight tonight, in honor not just of triumphing over an injury in such speedy fashion, but in going on to excel at his Olympic experience. As someone who’s had entire weeks derailed by a hang-nail, I find this exceptionally impressive. (See also Tom Daley and Matty Lee.)
